Faith Academy of Marble Falls head football coach Pete Rhodes resigned May 15 to take a coaching job at Blanco High School. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

MARBLE FALLS — Pete Rhodes resigned as the Faith Academy of Marble Falls football head coach May 15 to take a position on the football staff at Blanco High School.

Rhodes will coach tight ends and outside linebackers for the Panthers football team and be the head coach of the powerlifting squad.

He said it was an “opportunity that was too good to pass up.”

Since 2000, the Blanco football has missed the playoffs only twice. Head coach Bill Tesch and his staff have been at the school since 1990. Since 2004, the Panthers have an overall win-loss record of 124-53 and are 57-16 in district play and 26-13 in the playoffs.

“They win every year,” Rhodes said. “You can tell the mentality of the kids. They expect to win.”

The Flames had a shortened 2017 season as injuries devastated the 16-player roster, leaving the team with only 10 players and forcing the school to forfeit the last four games.

“I didn’t anticipate having the low numbers,” Rhodes said about the Faith squad. “It’s very difficult to try to have a competitive program with the low numbers.

Rhodes said he learned patience and perseverance on the Faith job and commended the players for their efforts. He also credited assistant coach Jared Garza for his dedication and work ethic.

“I couldn’t have done the job without him,” Rhodes said. “I’ve been the top assistant for two or three head coaches. I knew what that was going to entail.”

Faith Academy athletic director Randy Denton said the school is still early in the process of finding a new head coach.

“We appreciate all of his hard work and wish him well in his new position,” Denton said about Rhodes.

Rhodes, who was the fourth head coach in four years at Faith Academy, said he made some new friends and can’t thank them enough for their support.

“In every job, you learn and you leave better than you were,” he said. “I feel good about the things we did at Faith Academy.”